DEAR JERRY: A friend stunned me recently by saying that before 1964, and the first U.S. Beatles album, no rock group had a No. 1 album.

Is this accurate? If so, then how close did the Beach Boys and 4 Seasons come?

How many solo artists, either male, female, or mixed, did so during the pre-Beatles years? Howard Newton, Honolulu

DEAR HOWARD: Your friend is telling it like it is, making album sales by groups just one more example of how the Beatles changed everything.

Before “Meet the Beatles” zoomed to the top of the LP charts, the only vocal groups to accomplish that were either folk music or adult-oriented pop acts; five by the Kingston Trio; two by Peter, Paul and Mary; and three by Mitch Miller and the Gang.

The remaining 44 are by something other than a solo singer, comprising soundtracks (4), original casts (2), and vocal (32) or instrumental (6) groups.

We have written before about Elvis (7); Ricky Nelson (1); Ray Charles (1); and Little Stevie Wonder (1), being the only rock or soul artists  regardless of gender makeup  with No. 1 LPs before “Meet the Beatles.”

Perhaps even more mind-boggling is that the first solo rock female in history to top the album charts is Janis Joplin, which did not happen until February 1971, with “Pearl.”

Before going solo, Joplin sang lead for Big Brother and the Holding Company, and their “Cheap Thrills” hit No. 1 in October 1968.

Wondering about the two top first generation rock and roll gals? The highest LP chart position for Connie Francis and Brenda Lee is No. 4, and both of them reached it in the same year, 1960.